On the day the war started in Ukraine, I finished a 900 page novel about World War 2 and the beginnings of the Soviet Union. It seemed timely as Russia invaded a sovereign country in Europe, a similar start to the second world war when Germany invaded Poland. I read four hours of news that day, and my brain was spinning. How does a country justify bombing civilians? Invading a sovereign nation? Seeing a country invade another seemed out of a history book.
In the following days, I spent time absorbing the war. I cried with the people of Ukraine- for the people losing their home and their lives. And I mourned the loss of relative peacetime that came with the end of the Cold War.
Now, I want to process it through writing. The war in Ukraine is still happening and one of the ways it happens is through communication. As someone studying communication, it is important to understand how people communicate in war and peace.
There are several pieces of communication to explore, but I want to start with the communication strategies of Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s messaging stands in contrast to Russia’s misinformation
With the majority of people in Russia supporting Putin, it is clear Putin’s propaganda web is effective. I might have thought propaganda archaic, but with the amount we have seen, I’m paying attention. According to RAND’s report on Russia’s misinformation, Russia has a multi-tiered system for their propaganda. There are four explanations for why their propaganda is so effective:
- High-volume and multichannel
When messages are heard repeatedly, they become more convincing. “Multiple sources are more persuasive than a single source,” says the RAND report. Putin and his propaganda use social media, state-controlled TV and state-controlled journalism to pull a high volume of messages across multiple channels. In addition, they have stopped social media channels like Twitter and Facebook to maintain control of their internal messaging.
This includes spinning the war on Ukraine into a quick military “operation” with the intent to “de-nazify” the country, both reports from Russia proven false.
- Rapid, continuous, and repetitive
Russia’s communication with its citizens is rapid, continuous and repetitive, typical of propaganda. It’s highly effective. According to the report, “repetition leads to familiarity, and familiarity leads to acceptance”
Through the years of Russian propaganda, these false reports appear on social media and even lurk in reliable news outlets.
- Lacks commitment to objective reality
I read a story about a woman in Kyiv that tried to tell her mother in Russia that Kyiv was being bombed. The NY Daily reported that her parents “believe that the explosions their daughter is hearing in Kyiv are either the results of accidental strikes or Ukrainian soldiers killing their own people.” We have clear evidence that this is false, but a mother believed in propaganda.
Propaganda can lack commitment to what is an objective and known truth, which makes it incredibly dangerous, especially when families believe their state-owned media over reports from their loved ones.
Often, Russian propaganda makes arguments that include elements of the truth, like the bombings in Kyiv, and then distorts it to fulfill their goals.
- Lacks commitment to consistency.
Interestingly, it seems that Russian media makes no effort to offer consistent messaging. Typically, this would cause people to be wary of the media, but Russia’s propaganda seems to be effective within its borders.
I found this part of the report most interesting:
- “Contradictions can prompt a desire to understand why a shift in opinion or messages occurred. When a seemingly strong argument for a shift is provided or assumed (e.g., more thought is given or more information is obtained), the new message can have a greater persuasive impact.” (RAND)
- “When a source appears to have considered different perspectives, consumer attitudinal confidence is greater. A source who changes his or her opinion or message may be perceived as having given greater consideration to the topic, thereby influencing recipient confidence in the newest message.” (RAND)
Ukraine’s information tactics are also highly effective.
Even with the highly effective propaganda from Russia, Ukraine’s messaging has pushed through on top and garnered multinational support. One of their most effective narratives supports President Zelensky as a hero. They are fighting with truth, evoking emotion and granting them the support of the world.
Under Zelensky’s leadership, Ukraine has fought a month in a war expected to last a day. He proved his commitment to Ukraine inspiring his nation, but Zelensky is aware of his entire audience. Not only does he have to inspire Ukrainians, but he also must inspire the rest of the world. Everyone is watching.
A Forbes article cites Zelensky’s effective communication and notes a few things he does particularly well: limits messaging to the most important, uses memorable phrases (“The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride”), and he uses authenticity to create empathy from the rest of the world.
Zelensky knows that he is also fighting Putin’s misinformation as it seeks to infiltrate Ukraine. He knows that the people of Russia are convinced of Putin’s rightness. Yet, he stands in truth and courage, and because of truth, Zelensky’s messaging created an incomparable show of support.
As the United States and other countries continue to evaluate Russia’s war, Zelensky and Ukraine will likely continue to communicate truth to combat lies.
Not only is this a war on the ground, but a war of words.
How to consume information about Ukraine reliably
I wrote a blog post recently about misinformation and disinformation because Russia uses such blatant lies in its own media. Ukraine knows this and is prepared for it.
A professor of mine from Ukraine has urged us to stay informed, to spread true information and not stop talking about Ukraine because one of their most important assets is the powerful communication strategies they have used to capture the attention of the world.
I’ve been getting my information from a couple of places.
The war does not stop on the ground. Ukraine’s communication has won the country billions of dollars of foreign aid, kept morale up and convinced the world Ukraine is worth saving.
Sharing their information will help it stand. It will keep public interest and awareness high and hopefully continue to encourage our policymakers to take action.
Halle Brown 